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Overview

Photos and Description of this Arrens-Marsous holiday apartment

Les Artigaux is situated in 5 hectares of wooded park, just outside the village of Arrens in the beautiful Val d’Azun in the French Pyrenees. In a beautiful mountain setting, it is ideally place for activity holidays such as walking, cycling, mountain biking, skiing, cross-country skiing and paragliding. All the accommodation is self-catering and has been furnished and equipped to a high standard. Le Soulor and Le Couraduque apartments sleep up to four people and L’Aubisque sleeps up to 6 with an additional cabin room suitable for two children. Le Tourmalet is a spacious loft apartment with 3 bedrooms including a huge master bedroom with en-suite bathroom. La Grange, a converted 18th Century barn, has three bedrooms and sleeps up to 7. A Scandinavian hot tub and a sauna have recently been installed for guests to relax in. The owners and their two children live on-site and are always happy to provide local knowledge or help you arrange your holiday activities.

Plenty to see: Arrens is about 12km from the pretty town of Argelès-Gazost, which is well known for its thermal baths and has an excellent weekly market. Lourdes, world famous for the shrine of St. Bernadette and attracting millions of pilgrims a year, is 25 km away. The historic and elegant town of Pau is within an hour’s drive. Otherwise, we are in the heart of some of the most spectacular scenery France has to offer, from famous Pyrenean sites – such as the observatory perched on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, the cascades at the Pont d'Espagne or the World Heritage site of Gavarnie – to picturesque lakes and mountain villages with their age-old traditions.

Plenty to do: The area is a paradise for walkers and cyclists of all levels. Activities available locally in the summer season include horse riding, rafting, paragliding and fishing, and in the winter both downhill and cross-country skiing, snow shoe walking and husky sledge rides. The unspoilt natural environment offers the opportunity to observe a variety of mountain flora and fauna (including eagles, vultures and isards).

Annual events: The area hosts a number of annual festivals and events – the most famous being the Tour de France which, in 2008 will have a stage finish at Hautacam above Argelès. Also in 2008 this stage will be featured as the Etape du Tour when 9000 amateur cyclists ride the route the week before the main event. On a smaller scale, there are many traditional fêtes which offer great opportunities to absorb the local culture and traditions. In January a Nordic weekend is held at the Col de Couraduque enabling anyone to try out the various activities such as cross-country skiing and snow shoe walking. In September Arrens hosts the Cutlet Festival which celebrates the return of the flocks of sheep from the high mountain pastures. In October Aucun has a horse festival with displays featuring working horses of a variety of breeds. 2008 will also see special celebrations in Lourdes to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the apparition to St.Bernadette.

Details for Le Couraduque 1 Bedroom, Sleeps 4, 1 Half Bathrooms

Le Couraduque is a one-bedroom duplex apartment, sleeping up to four people. On the ground floor, the living room (with comfortable sofa-bed) is entered through French doors from a private terrace, and leads onto the well-equipped and modern kitchen. Upstairs there is a double bedroom with a large balcony, a bathroom and separate WC. Le Couraduque is south facing, and the sunny terrace and balcony offer splendid views of the Pic du Midi d’Arrens and Gabizos mountains. Outside there is a table tennis table and a BBQ. A Scandinavian hot tub and sauna have recently been installed in the grounds which provides an ideal way to relax after the day's activities.

Guestbook comments from the owner

Thank you Simon and Suzanne for making this a wonderful holiday. The accommodation is comfortable and everything has been thought of for a relaxing holiday. We love the views, the walking, the hot tub – well everything! We will be back.

Stunning location, fantastic place, great hosts

We had an incredible 2 weeks in L'Artigaux. Simon and Suzanne are amazing hosts, they thought of everything! amazing location for biking and hikes, the accommodation is fantastic, beautiful views and so peaceful, we can't wait to get back, thanks for a great holiday

The picturesque village of Arrens is at an altitude of 860m in the Val d'Azun in the French Pyrenees, surrounded by peaks rising to over 2000m. The amenities in the village include a small supermarket, two bakeries, a butcher, a shop selling regional produce, a newsagent and a pharmacy. There are also tennis courts, mini-golf and an open air heated swimming pool (open in July and August). There are several restaurants in the village and others in the surrounding villages. The spa town of Argeles-Gazost, which is 15 minutes drive away has a wider selection of shops and restaurants and has an excellent market every Tuesday as well as thermal baths and a casino. A further 15 minutes away is Lourdes with its famous shrine and a wider choice of shops and restaurants. Arrens is one of the entrance points for the Pyrenees National Park which has been created to protect the local flora and fauna and which is a great environment to see vultures, eagles and other birds of prey.

Ski: The largest cross-country skiing area in the Pyrenees at the Col du Soulor is just 10 minutes by car from Les Artigaux. This area links to the neighbouring Col du Couraduque and in all has about 110 km of prepared marked pistes. There is also an area set aside for children's tobogganing.

The nearest downhill skiing is at Hautacam, above Argeles-Gazost, about 30 minutes' drive away. This is a day station and has fairly limited skiing, but is a perfect opportunity to try the sport for a very modest cost. Within an hour's drive are the larger resorts of Cauterets, Luz-Ardiden and Bareges. Bareges links with La Mongie to form the largest downhill skiing area in the Pyrenees and has a total of 100km of pistes.

Equipment for both downhill and cross-country skiing can be hired locally and tuition is available at all the resorts. The cost of a day's cross-country skiing at the Col du Soulor is just 7€ and generally the cost of ski passes at the downhill resorts is cheaper than the Alps.

Amenities

Accommodation and facilities for Le Couraduque in Arrens-Marsous, France

Property Type:

apartment

Meals:

Guests provide their own meals

Floor Area:

50 m²

Location Type:

Mountain

Theme:

Family

Sports & Activities

General:

Alarm Clock

soap

Hair Dryer

Heating

Internet

Laundry Soap

Linens Provided

Local Activities Guide

Local Maps

Paper Towels

Parking

Sofa Bed

Toilet Paper

Tumble Dryer

Washing Machine

Wireless Internet

Kitchen:

Coffee Maker

Cooking Utensils

Dishwasher

Freezer

Grill

Microwave

Oven

Refrigerator

Stove

Toaster

Dining:

Child's Highchair

Dining Area

seating for 4 people

Bathrooms:

1Half Bath

Bathroom -
bath with shower
Bathroom -
toilet

Bedrooms:

1 Bedroom, Sleeps 4

Bedroom -
2 single bed
,
Beds can be joined to form double
Living room -
2 sofa bed/futon
,
Double or 2 singles

The 80cm single beds can be joined together to form a large double

Entertainment:

Books

books - fiction/non-fiction

books - kids

CD Player

DVD Player

Games

games - kids

Ping Pong Table

Radio

Stereo

Television

Video Library

Outside:

Balcony

Child's Swing

Lawn / Garden

Outdoor Grill

patio

Terrace

4 garden chairs

Suitability:

children welcome

non smoking only

pets not allowed

not suitable for elderly or infirm

wheelchair inaccessible

Pool / Spa:

Hot Tub

Outdoor Hot Tub

Sauna

Attractions:

autumn foliage

caves

churches

forests

museums

restaurants

Leisure Activities:

bird watching

gambling casinos

horse riding

photography

scenic drives

sight seeing

sledding

walking

Local Services & Businesses:

ATM/bank

groceries

medical services

Sports & Adventure Activities:

cycling

equestrian events

fishing

fly fishing

freshwater fishing

hiking

hunting

mountain biking

mountain climbing

mountaineering

paragliding

rafting

roller blading

ski

caving

swimming

tennis

whitewater rafting

Notes:

Even in high season the changeover day may be flexible. Outside high season long weekends or mid-week breaks are available. Please contact us with your requirements. If required, towels can be provided at a cost of just €5 per head to be paid locally. Cots and high chairs can be provided free of charge on request.